Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise: To ask His Majesty's Government, given current economic conditions, what assessment they have made of the likely additional costs of labour and materials on the overall cost of delivering the HS2 project; and what impact these additional costs will have on the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of HS2.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The HS2 programme is experiencing high levels of inflation, consistent with the rest of the economy and construction industry. Whilst I am clear that HS2 Ltd and its supply chain must do all they can do mitigate inflationary pressures, the overall cost of the programme is not affected in real terms because the budgets are set in 2019 prices. Inflation affects the value of the costs as well as the benefits and using a consistent price base removes the effects of general inflation from the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) calculation. If materials cost inflation and general inflation are significantly different, the BCR could change. Labour and materials costs are modelled as part of the BCR analysis and will be updated for the next iteration of the HS2 business case.

High Speed 2 Line: Finance

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the Written Statement byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 March (HLWS670), whether HS2 costs continue to be within budget; and if not, what is the (1) current amount that the project is over-budget, (2) estimated total amount the project will be over-budget, and (3) cause of costs that will result in the project being over-budget.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: For the latest update on the overall costs position of the HS2 programme I would refer my Right Honourable Friend to the publication of the six-monthly HS2 report to Parliament on Thursday 27 October 2022.

High Speed 2 Line: Finance

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of recent increases in long-term government borrowing on the (1) final cost of HS2, and (2) impact to the benefit-cost ratio; and what changes, if any, they plan to make to the discount method applied to previous calculations concerning the affordability and value for money of HS2.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The HS2 programme is experiencing high levels of inflation, consistent with the rest of the economy and construction industry. Whilst I am clear that HS2 Ltd and its supply chain must do all they can do mitigate inflationary pressures, the overall cost of the programme is not affected in real terms because the budgets are set in 2019 prices. To ensure comparability with all other Transport and Government schemes, discounting rates are set in accordance with the HMT's Green Book and DfT's Transport Analysis Guidance.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise: To ask His Majesty's Government, giventhe current economic environment, what plans they have further to review the overall benefits and costs of the proposed HS2 project.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: For the latest update on the overall costs position of the HS2 programme I would refer my Right Honourable Friend to the publication of the six-monthly HS2 report to Parliament on Thursday 27 October 2022.

High Speed 2 Line: Remote Working

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increased worker productivity as a result of home working since the beginning of the COVID pandemic; and in respect of any such assessment, what adjustments they have made to (1) their estimate of the number of business journeys likely to take place on HS2, and (2) their assessment of the productivity benefits originally thought likely to be derived from these shorter business journeys.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The extent of the long-term impact of the COVID pandemic on rail demand is still uncertain. However, a range of sensitivities were explored in detail in the January 2022 HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg Strategic Outline Business Case. Three sensitivities were undertaken which assess three possible scenarios. These scenarios are not predictions, but instead explore a range of possible impacts of the pandemic on future rail demand. For business and commuter demand, these ranged from 5% reduction in the low-impact sensitivity to a 47% reduction in the high-impact sensitivity. Wider economic benefits which include productivity benefits have been explored in the January 2022 HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg Strategic Outline Business Case. The productivity benefits are assumed to arise from reduced journey times, agglomeration benefits and from people and businesses moving to realise productivity benefits. These estimates were brought together alongside a wide range of sensitivity tests to provide a value for money assessment.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fracking: Lancashire

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that fracking caused an earthquake every day that the site at Preston New Road, Lancashire, was in operation.

Lord Callanan: The Government has confirmed that it is adopting a presumption against issuing any further hydraulic fracturing consents. This position, an effective moratorium, will be maintained until compelling new evidence is provided which addresses concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity.

Fracking: Public Consultation

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow local communities to veto future plans for fracking in their area.

Lord Callanan: As the Government has confirmed that it will adopt a presumption against issuing further hydraulic fracturing consents, the Government will not be taking forward a public consultation on the approach to local support at this time.

Energy: Meters

Baroness Crawley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to support the roll out of smart meters; and if so, what standards they require of electricity companies on their collection of customers' data and the accuracy of the data displayed on those meters.

Lord Callanan: The Government wants as many homes and small businesses as possible to benefit from smart metering and has taken steps to make it the default meter offer in Great Britain. The smart metering Targets Framework introduced this year sets energy suppliers minimum annual installation targets to ensure the rollout continues to deliver at scale. The Department also works closely with industry to drive best practice. There is a strict Data Access and Privacy Framework for smart metering, that protects consumers’ privacy. Households have control over who can access their energy consumption data and for what purposes, except where this is required for regulated purposes (e.g. billing).

Department of Health and Social Care

Life Expectancy

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy between areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030; and if so, by what amount.

Lord Markham: The Government is committed to supporting individuals to live healthier lives and improving access to health and care services. This includes improving healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035 and narrowing the gap by 2030.A significant proportion of ill-health is preventable. By focusing on major conditions which contribute to early death and reduce years of good health and behaviours such as smoking, poor diet and alcohol which disproportionately impact some communities, we will make progress on reducing health disparities. We remain committed to the ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030 and we are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices and to increase progress on the reformulation of foods. We will set out more information on plans to address health disparities in due course.

Gender Identity Development Service

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government What steps they will take to ensure that the services provided by the Gender Identity Development Service at NHS Tavistock and Portman Clinics are not replicated at proposed regional centres.

Lord Markham: NHS England is progressing the formation of a new service model for children's gender identity services, in line with the recommendations made by the independent Cass Review. Subject to consultation, the new service model will be led by specialist children’s hospitals through an integrated multi-disciplinary team led by a medical doctor. On 21 October, NHS England launched an online only consultation on an interim service specification.

Veterans Mobility Fund

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will reinstate the Veterans Mobility Fund.

Lord Markham: The Government does not intend to reinstate the Veterans’ Mobility Fund, which was a time-limited fund established in 2015 to provide support for veterans with serious physical injury resulting from their time in service.

Care Workers: Training

Lord Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) enhance, and (2) encourage, training in the care sector.

Lord Markham: Through Skills for Care, we are providing a range of resources for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to bid for financial support towards the training and development of staff. New learning opportunities, training and online resources to build digital skills in the care sector, are also being provided.

IVF

Lord Winston: To ask His Majesty's Government, between 2014 and 2019, how many women receiving frozen or thawed eggs (oocytes) subsequently had a live birth at term; and of this number, how many foetal or neonatal abnormalities were reported.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of live births and congenital abnormalities from treatments using patients thawed eggs from 2014 to 2019.Live births at term205Congenital abnormalities7 Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)Notes:At term is provided as 37 weeks gestation or greater.The data is as shown on the HFEA’s register database on 20 October 2022. This is a live database so these figures reflect the data on this day are likely to change over time. Data shown includes only treatments using patients own thawed eggs.

IVF

Lord Winston: To ask His Majesty's Government, between 2014 and 2019, how many women undergoing a uterine transfer of one or more embryo(s) produced by fertilising a thawed egg had a positive pregnancy test; and how many pregnancies resulted in a spontaneous abortion (1) before 12 weeks of gestation, and (2) after 12 weeks of gestation.

Lord Markham: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of pregnancies and miscarriages from treatments using patients own thawed eggs from 2014 to 2019.Pregnancies286Miscarriages47 Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)Notes:Positive pregnancy test is interpreted as instances where one or more foetal heart pulsation was recorded.The data is as shown on the HFEA’s register database on 20 October 2022. This is a live database so these figures reflect the data on this day are likely to change over time. Data shown includes only treatment using patients own thawed eggs.

IVF

Lord Winston: To ask His Majesty's Government, of the human eggs (oocytes) harvested between 2014 and 2019, how many of the fertilised eggs produced viable embryos suitable for uterine transfer; and how many embryos were transferred to the uterus for the purpose of producing a baby.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of embryos created and transferred from patients’ own thawed eggs from 2014 to 2019.Embryos created7,257Embryos transferred1,685 Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)Notes:1. Due to the way data is stored, the HFEA has advised that it cannot easily link egg storage cycles with a high degree of accuracy. Data is therefore provided as total embryos created or transferred within the required period, rather than a subset of eggs stored.2. The data is as shown on the HFEA’s register database on 20 October 2022. This is a live database so these figures reflect the data on this day and are likely to change over time. Data shown includes only treatments using patients own thawed eggs.

IVF

Lord Winston: To ask His Majesty's Government how many human eggs (oocytes) were harvested and frozen by vitrification between 2014 and 2019 for social purposes such as the preservation of a woman’s fertility; of this number, how many of these eggs (1) were thawed in order to undertake clinical in vitro fertilisation, (2) did not thaw satisfactorily, and (3) underwent attempts at fertilisation with or without ICSI.

Lord Markham: This information is not held in the format requested. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it does not hold information on the method of freezing or the reasons the eggs were frozen during this period. While the HFEA collects data on egg storage, data on the method of freezing, the reasons the eggs were frozen or whether eggs did not thaw satisfactorily is not held.The following table shows the number of eggs collected for patients’ own use in egg storage from 2014 to 2019.Eggs stored75,956Eggs thawed13,340Eggs fertilised11,481 Source: The HFEANotes:Harvested and frozen has been interpreted to be eggs stored.Due to the way data is stored, the HFEA has advised that it cannot easily link egg storage cycles with a high degree of accuracy. Data is therefore provided as total eggs thawed or fertilised within the required period, rather than a subset of eggs stored.The data is as shown on the HFEA’s register database on 20 October 2022. This is a live database so these figures reflect the data on this day and are likely to change over time. Data shown includes only egg storage for patients own use.

IVF: Clinics

Lord Winston: To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK clinics are licensed to undertake human oocyte freezing for clinical purposes.

Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that there were 111 United Kingdom clinics licensed to undertake egg storage for clinical use in 2021/2022.

NHS: Software

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure patients are able to access information about local waiting times on the NHS app; and when they expect to implement these plans.

Lord Markham: The Department is currently working with NHS England to develop the My Planned Care online platform to provide advice and support to patients awaiting surgery and to prepare for hospital consultations, treatment or surgery. This includes information on waiting times at their hospital to allow patients to make the appropriate choices for their care.

Health Services: Low Incomes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, given waiting times for NHS treatment have reached a record 6.8 million, what plans they have to provide additional support to low-income earners to enable them to fund private healthcare.

Lord Markham: There are no current plans to do so. However, the National Health Service is working with independent sector providers to maximise the capacity available for NHS patients and reduce waiting times.

Department for Education

Schools: Libraries

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government whether funding for school libraries is ring-fenced; and if not, what support they will make available to schools to ensure that pupils can continue to have high-quality reading experiences.

Baroness Barran: The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this. It is for head teachers to decide how best to manage their budgets, including investment in resources such as library provision. This funding is not ringfenced and can include funding book corners, school libraries and librarians. Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, is increasing by £4 billion in the 2022/23 financial year compared to the previous year.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Question

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why Remembrance Day poppies are not on sale at Peers' Entrance as in previous years.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A box of Remembrance Day poppies was placed at Peers’ Entrance on Wednesday 2 November. This was in addition to poppy boxes already placed in the Attendants’ Office off Peers’ Lobby and at Millbank House reception.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Bahrain: Human Rights

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch "The Court is Satisfied with the Confession”: Bahrain Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials, published on 10 October; and what representations they will make to the government of Bahrain concerning implementing its recommendations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has taken note of the report in question. Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty with senior members of the Bahraini Government. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.

Ukraine: Development Aid and Military Aid

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on (1) military, and (2) non-military, aid to Ukraine sinceFebruary.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has committed a total of £2.3 billion for lethal and non-lethal military support to Ukraine this year. This makes us the second biggest donor of military aid (after the US).The UK has committed £220 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, making us the third largest bilateral humanitarian donor (after the US and Germany). At end September 2022, 67% of this funding had been spent.

Ukraine: Development Aid and Military Aid

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government how much they plan to spend on (1) military, and (2) non-military, aid to Ukraine in 2023.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, including through committing £2.3 billion of military support this year. We have committed to meeting or exceeding our 2022 spend on military aid to Ukraine next year.Funding arrangements for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine next financial year are yet to be finalised.

Ministry of Defence

National Security: Foreign Nationals

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that non-UK citizens who have access to information classified as sensitive to the national security of the UK or its allies, during their employment in the public service or with contractors to the Government, do not subsequently communicate such information to the government of their country of citizenship.

Baroness Goldie: Everyone who works with Government (including staff, contractors and service providers) has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any HM Government information or data that they access, irrespective of whether it is marked or not, and must be provided with appropriate training. Access to sensitive information must ONLY be granted on the basis of a genuine 'need to know' and an appropriate personnel security control. All Ministry of Defence personnel sign the Official Secrets Act Declaration upon employment and must complete annual mandatory security training which includes how to handle all Defence information. Information passed to partners should only be provided to international organisations, foreign governments, and their commercial or industrial entities, in cases where: There is a clear need to know; The international partner has demonstrated both the ability and willingness to protect UK classified information; and appropriate protective security arrangements have been agreed with the recipient. Any decision to provide UK classified information to international partners must be taken on a risk managed basis by departments and agencies, noting that the threats to information may differ from those in the UK. For UK contractors, the prior approval of the relevant Department or agency must be obtained before HMG classified assets are released overseas. Roles with access to sensitive information may also require the postholder to have an appropriate national security vetting clearance; as part of that process applicants’ ongoing overseas connections will be considered, and if a risk is identified as a result of such connections additional risk mitigation will be considered. Additionally, caveats are used - the caveat UK Eyes Only is intended to limit access to UK nationals. Further information can be found in the May-2018_Government-Security-Classifications-2.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

ECOPEL: Furs

Baroness Fookes: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have tested the faux bearskins produced by the firm Ecopel; and if so, with what result.

Baroness Fookes: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to replace the bearskin caps worn by the King's Guards with faux bearskins.

Baroness Goldie: There have been four synthetic furs tested by accredited testing houses since 2015. The artificial fur tested in 2018 failed in all five of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) basic requirements necessary in order to be considered further as a viable alternative for ceremonial caps areas.Tests conducted in 2019 and 2020 on another two samples showed that, while the water penetration was reduced, it still did not meet the necessary standard. It also performed poorly in the remaining basic requirements areas. The most recent test results, provided by PETA from an accredited testing house, have also been analysed by the MOD. The analysis concluded that the fabric only met one of the five basic requirements.This means that, to date, there is no faux fur alternative that meets the required standard for the King's Guards ceremonial caps.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Menopause

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to support people who are experiencing menopause symptoms to return to the workplace.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: With women over 50 representing the fastest growing segment of the workforce, there are few workplaces where the menopause is not being experienced by staff. The Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July. The Department does not collect such data on the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce or reducing their hours.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Departmental Responsibilities

Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the international trade experience of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was deemed relevant to his new role when he was appointed to it.

Lord Benyon: The appointment of Ministers is a matter for the Prime Minister as the Sovereign's principal adviser.

Home Office

Domestic Service: Migrant Workers

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 21 September (HL1651), when they anticipate the information concerning how many victims of modern day slavery have been issued with an overseas domestic worker visa that is “not currently available” will be made available.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The data as requested is still not available.

UK Visas and Immigration: Email and Telephone Services

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 21 September (HL2245, HL2247), what “operational commercial improvement opportunities” were identified; and when the 2020 review of previous charges will be published.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Reducing the email and call fees improved the accessibility of our services, as well as our customers experience in contacting UKVI. The previous charges were viewed as relatively high and led to customer dissatisfaction. The change in fees coincided with the launch of the new points based system meaning call volumes increased and more customers would benefit from the fee reduction. There are no plans to publish the review of previous charges.

UK Visas and Immigration: Teleperformance

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 20 September (HL2246), how many of the total number of 658 complaints were received each month since November 2019; and what assessment they made of the value of confirming the amounts of compensation made as part of monitoring the delivery of this contract.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The total number of complaints regarding Teleperformance made to HMPO from 2019 to current date is shown in the table below broken down by month.To clarify, the previous Lords question HL2246, provided confirmed volumes for the current year, showing the total number of complaints regarding Teleperformance made to HMPO relating to passports.The data regarding compensation for these specific cases is not held in a reportable format and therefore it could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. 2019202020212022Jan342832110Feb302644146March423040112April6204856May5864270June54144054July72326212August545011626Sept32288462Oct4826144 Nov2218164 Dec1842134

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 31 August (HL2040), how many projects have been funded annually since 2010; how much have those projects been funded for annually since 2010; and how much longer will the UK continue to receive funding from the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 31 August (HL2041), what was the UK's Integration percentage of the UK's total funding from the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund annually since 2010; and what was the Integration percentage of all other countries receiving funding from the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund annually since 2010.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Since 2010 the UK Govt has funded a total of 156 projects, through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and its predecessor Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows (SOLID).On an average annual basis during this period, £8.17m has been paid out to integration projects.In April 2022 the EU extended AMIF by 12 months to 31.12.24.The UK’s integration percentage of the AMIF Fund is 26.8%. This information is not broken down annually as grants are awarded across the whole programming period and for up to 3 years.The EU does not publish information on AMIF utilisation across all Member States but requires each individual countries to publish their own data. It is therefore not possible to calculate the UK utilisation rate as a percentage of the whole AMIF EU fund.The UK’s latest awards information and AMIF National Programme can be found on gov.uk.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Rented Housing: Sales

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any barriers to landlords selling properties with sitting tenants.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Further to the 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' White Paper, the Government encourages any landlord who wishes to sell their property to consider selling with sitting tenants. This can be easier and faster for the existing landlord and, by allowing the tenant to stay in their home, it can save the eventual buyer the cost of finding a reliable tenant.

Private Rented Housing

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce the Renters' Reform Bill to Parliament.

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to bring forwardthe second stage of leasehold reform.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The government remains committed to its manifesto commitment of leasehold reform and to providing a fair deal for renters. Legislation will be announced in the usual way.

Treasury

Enterprise Investment Scheme: Venture Capital

Lord Leigh of Hurley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the extension of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts Scheme beyond 2025 as announced on 23 September.

Baroness Penn: The Government remains supportive of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts. The Government will engage with businesses, investors, and others on any decisions made regarding the schemes.